Hanging on the wall in my son’s room is a stock certificate for one share of Disney stock. It was a gift at his birth from his Uncle Peter and Aunt Paula. More than anything it is decorative. At the time of its purchase, Disney stock was worth about $35. With the acquisition and release of Star Wars, it is now worth about $114. So in theory my son’s stock portfolio has performed very well. It is worth over 300% of its original value. The growth is outstanding but it’s not enough shares to create truly meaningful value. The stock was a gift, never truly meant to turn my son into an investor.
However the truth is that we are ALL investors! Stocks are a financial investment. That is the type of investment that most people think about when they hear the word. The truth is that we can invest in many types of currency. Right now you’re investing several of your most precious currencies on this blog post: time, attention and possibly trust. Many people don’t get involved in monetary investing because the markets are too unpredictable. There is the risk of major losses at stake. It is impossible to lose money, if you don’t put any in. People are usually conscious of how they invest their money. Often they are not as conscious about how they invest their other resources.
Time, attention, trust, love, respect and many others are all currencies that should be invested with more intelligence than money. Money is a renewable resource while time is not. If you lose twenty dollars, you can always make up for that loss. The lost twenty minutes is gone forever with no hope of replacement. Since money is tangible we give it extra reverence but these other currencies are as or more important. So perhaps it is time to look at your investment portfolio and decide if it is balanced. Have you put yourself into a position to be swimming in the assets that you have accrued through careful planning? Or will you feel bankrupt in the end because you squandered the resources that you had? You are an amazing human being who is destined to do great things if you’ll use your resources wisely!
Invest wisely today!
Pete
Huryk Unlimited 